Pumping of liquid cryogen from a storage tank

A liquid cryogen storage apparatus having subcooling capability, comprising:

• a closed insulated cryogenic storage vessel adapted and configured to store cryogenic liquids, the vessel comprising a liquid cryogen outlet disposed in a wall thereof and a vaporized liquid cryogen outlet disposed in a wall thereof, wherein when the vessel is partially filled with a liquid cryogen, an interior of the vessel is divided into a liquid cryogen space and an ullage above the liquid cryogen space;
• and
• a hollow metal conduit at least partly disposed within the vessel that has an open first end disposed within the liquid cryogen space and a second end that is connected to or extends through the vaporized liquid cryogen outlet, wherein;
• a pressure reducer is disposed either within the conduit or at the first end that is adapted and configured to flash the liquid cryogen entering into the conduit into a biphasic mixture of liquid cryogen and vaporized liquid cryogen,
• when the vessel is partially filled with a liquid cryogen, an exterior surface of the conduit is in direct contact with the liquid cryogen;
• and
• the conduit is adapted and configured to transfer heat to the biphasic mixture from the liquid cryogen in the liquid cryogen space and vaporize at least some of the liquid cryogen in the biphasic mixture,
• wherein the pressure reducer is an automatically controlled flow rate control valve or pressure control valve and the apparatus further comprises a programmable logic controller or distributed control system coded with PID control logic that is adapted and configured to control operation of the pressure reducer,
• a pressure sensor that is adapted and configured to measure a pressure of the vaporized liquid cryogen in the conduit between a position in between a location above a level of the liquid cryogen space within the vessel and a position at or adjacent to the second end, wherein the pressure reducer is controlled by the programmable logic controller or distributed control system based upon the measured pressure.

A hydrogen refueling station for refueling fuel cell electric vehicles with pressurized hydrogen, comprising:

• one or more liquid hydrogen storage apparatuses, wherein the liquid hydrogen storage apparatus comprises:
• a closed insulated cryogenic storage vessel adapted and configured to store liquid hydrogen, the vessel comprising a liquid hydrogen outlet disposed in a wall thereof and a vaporized liquid hydrogen outlet disposed in a wall thereof, wherein when the vessel is partially filled with a liquid hydrogen, an interior of the vessel is divided into a liquid hydrogen space and an ullage above the liquid hydrogen space;
• and
• a hollow metal conduit at least partly disposed within the vessel that has an open first end disposed within the liquid hydrogen space and a second end that is connected to or extends through the vaporized liquid hydrogen outlet, wherein:
• a pressure reducer is disposed either within the conduit or at the first end that is adapted and configured to flash the liquid hydrogen entering into the conduit into a biphasic mixture of liquid hydrogen and vaporized liquid hydrogen;
• when the vessel is partially filled with a liquid hydrogen, an exterior surface of the conduit is in direct contact with the liquid hydrogen;
• and
• the conduit is adapted and configured to transfer heat to the biphasic mixture from the liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen space and vaporize at least some of the liquid hydrogen in the biphasic mixture;
• wherein the hydrogen refueling station further comprises:
• one or more pumps in downstream fluid communication with the one or more liquid hydrogen storage apparatuses, wherein each of the one or more pumps is adapted and configured to receive liquid hydrogen from the one or more liquid hydrogen storage wherein each of the one or more s which is adapted and apparatuses via the liquid cryogen outlet;
• one or more vaporizers in downstream fluid communication with the one or more pumps that is adapted and configured to vaporize the pumped liquid hydrogen and produce pressurized gaseous hydrogen;
• one or more high pressure buffer containers in downstream fluid communication with the one or more vaporizers that is adapted and configured to store the pressurized gaseous hydrogen;
• and
• one or more nozzles in downstream fluid communication with the one or more vaporizers and one or more high pressure buffer containers that is adapted and configured to be connected in fluid communication with a tank of a fuel cell electric device and dispense the pressurized gaseous hydrogen thereto,
• a compressor in downstream fluid communication with the second end that is adapted and configured to compress the vaporized liquid cryogen exiting the vent line;
• a feed line adapted and configured to receive the compressed vaporized liquid cryogen and feed the compressed vaporized to the one or more high pressure buffer containers;
• and
• a pressure sensor that is adapted and configured to measure a pressure of the vaporized liquid cryogen at a position between a location in the conduit above a level of the liquid cryogen space within the vessel and a position at or adjacent to a suction inlet of the compressor, wherein the pressure reducer is controlled by the programmable logic controller or distributed control system based upon the measured temperature.

A method of subcooling a liquid cryogen, comprising the steps of:

• providing an apparatus comprising:
• a closed insulated cryogenic storage vessel adapted and configured to store cryogenic liquids, the vessel comprising a liquid cryogen outlet disposed in a wall thereof and a vaporized liquid cryogen outlet disposed in a wall thereof, wherein when the vessel is partially filled with a liquid cryogen, an interior of the vessel is divided into a liquid cryogen space and an ullage above the liquid cryogen space;
• and
• a hollow metal conduit at least partly disposed within the vessel that has an open first end disposed within the liquid cryogen space and a second end that is connected to or extends through the vaporized liquid cryogen outlet, wherein:
• a pressure reducer is disposed either within the conduit or at the first end that is adapted and configured to flash the liquid cryogen entering into the conduit into a biphasic mixture of liquid cryogen and vaporized liquid cryogen;
• when the vessel is partially filled with a liquid cryogen, an exterior surface of the conduit is in direct contact with the liquid cryogen;
• and
• the conduit is adapted and configured to transfer heat to the biphasic mixture from the liquid cryogen in the liquid cryogen space and vaporize at least some of the liquid cryogen in the biphasic mixture, wherein the vessel is storing a cryogen in liquid form;
• allowing the liquid cryogen in the liquid cryogen space to enter the conduit and have a pressure thereof be reduced by the pressure reducer, thereby producing a cooled biphasic mixture of the cryogen in liquid and vaporized forms, wherein the cooled biphasic mixture has a temperature lower than that of the liquid cryogen in the liquid cryogen space,
• allowing a flow of the vaporized liquid cryogen from the conduit and into a low pressure buffer container;
• compressing the vaporized liquid cryogen from the low pressure buffer container with a compressor in downstream flow communication with the low pressure buffer;
• and
• feeding the compressed vaporized liquid cryogen to an end-use from a terminal end of a feed line in fluid communication between the compressor and the end-use,
• measuring, with a pressure sensor, a pressure of the vaporized liquid cryogen at a location between a position in the conduit at a location within the vessel above a level of the liquid cryogen space and a position at or adjacent to the terminal end;
• and
• controlling operation of the pressure reducer with the programmable logic controller or distributed control system based upon the measured pressure.

A method of subcooling a liquid cryogen, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing an apparatus comprising:
• a closed insulated cryogenic storage vessel adapted and configured to store cryogenic liquids, the vessel comprising a liquid cryogen outlet disposed in a wall thereof and a vaporized liquid cryogen outlet disposed in a wall thereof, wherein when the vessel is partially filled with a liquid cryogen, an interior of the vessel is divided into a liquid cryogen space and an ullage above the liquid cryogen space;
• and
• a hollow metal conduit at least partly disposed within the vessel that has an open first end disposed within the liquid cryogen space and a second end that is connected to or extends through the vaporized liquid cryogen outlet, wherein:
• a pressure reducer is disposed either within the conduit or at the first end that is adapted and configured to flash the liquid cryogen entering into the conduit into a biphasic mixture of liquid cryogen and vaporized liquid cryogen;
• when the vessel is partially filled with a liquid cryogen, an exterior surface of the conduit is in direct contact with the liquid cryogen;
• and
• the conduit is adapted and configured to transfer heat to the biphasic mixture from the liquid cryogen in the liquid cryogen space and vaporize at least some of the liquid cryogen in the biphasic mixture, wherein the vessel is storing a cryogen in liquid form, and
• allowing the liquid cryogen in the liquid cryogen space to enter the conduit and have a pressure thereof be reduced by the pressure reducer, thereby producing a cooled biphasic mixture of the cryogen in liquid and vaporized forms, wherein the cooled biphasic mixture has a temperature lower than that of the liquid cryogen in the liquid cryogen space,
• wherein the apparatus is disposed at a liquid cryogen production facility that produces the liquid cryogen that is stored in the vessel and said method further comprises a step of feeding the liquid cryogen from the vessel into a trailer tanker of a liquid cryogen transport vehicle, the liquid cryogen produced by the liquid cryogen production facility being cooled in the vessel before said step of feeding.

A method of subcooling a liquid cryogen, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing an apparatus comprising:
• a closed insulated cryogenic storage vessel adapted and configured to store cryogenic liquids, the vessel comprising a liquid cryogen outlet disposed in a wall thereof and a vaporized liquid cryogen outlet disposed in a wall thereof, wherein when the vessel is partially filled with a liquid cryogen, an interior of the vessel is divided into a liquid cryogen space and an ullage above the liquid cryogen space;
• and
• a hollow metal conduit at least partly disposed within the vessel that has an open first end disposed within the liquid cryogen space and a second end that is connected to or extends through the vaporized liquid cryogen outlet, wherein,
• a pressure reducer is disposed either within the conduit or at the first end that is adapted and configured to flash the liquid cryogen entering into the conduit into a biphasic mixture of liquid cryogen and vaporized liquid cryogen;
• when the vessel is partially filled with a liquid cryogen, an exterior surface of the conduit is in direct contact with the liquid cryogen;
• and
• the conduit is adapted and configured to transfer heat to the biphasic mixture from the liquid cryogen in the liquid cryogen space and vaporize at least some of the liquid cryogen in the biphasic mixture, wherein the vessel is storing a cryogen in liquid form;
• and
• allowing the liquid cryogen in the liquid cryogen space to enter the conduit and have a pressure thereof be reduced by the pressure reducer, thereby producing a cooled biphasic mixture of the cryogen in liquid and vaporized forms, wherein the cooled biphasic mixture has a temperature lower than that of the liquid cryogen in the liquid cryogen space,
• wherein the vessel is a liquid cryogen storage tank located at an end-user facility and said method further comprises the steps of at least partially filling the vessel with the liquid cryogen from a tanker trailer of a liquid cryogen transport vehicle and using the liquid cryogen stored in the vessel at the end-user facility, said step of allowing being performed after said step of at least partially filling and before said step of using.

A method of subcooling a liquid cryogen, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing an apparatus comprising:
• a closed insulated cryogenic storage vessel adapted and configured to store cryogenic liquids, the vessel comprising a liquid cryogen outlet disposed in a wall thereof and a vaporized liquid cryogen outlet disposed in a wall thereof, wherein when the vessel is partially filled with a liquid cryogen, an interior of the vessel is divided into a liquid cryogen space and an ullage above the liquid cryogen space;
• and
• a hollow metal conduit at least partly disposed within the vessel that has an open first end disposed within the liquid cryogen space and a second end that is connected to or extends through the vaporized liquid cryogen outlet, wherein,
• a pressure reducer is disposed either within the conduit or at the first end that is adapted and configured to flash the liquid cryogen entering into the conduit into a biphasic mixture of liquid cryogen and vaporized liquid cryogen;
• when the vessel is partially filled with a liquid cryogen, an exterior surface of the conduit is in direct contact with the liquid cryogen;
• and
• the conduit is adapted and configured to transfer heat to the biphasic mixture from the liquid cryogen in the liquid cryogen space and vaporize at least some of the liquid cryogen in the biphasic mixture, wherein the vessel is storing a cryogen in liquid form;
• and
• allowing the liquid cryogen in the liquid cryogen space to enter the conduit and have a pressure thereof be reduced by the pressure reducer, thereby producing a cooled biphasic mixture of the cryogen in liquid and vaporized forms, wherein the cooled biphasic mixture has a temperature lower than that of the liquid cryogen in the liquid cryogen space,
• wherein the pressure reducer is an controlled flow rate control valve or pressure control valve and said method further comprises the steps of:
• feeding the liquid cryogen from the liquid cryogen outlet to a pump;
• pumping the fed liquid cryogen to an end-use;
• and
• controlling the pressure reducer and the pump using one or more programmable logic controllers or distributed control systems that is coded with PID control logic, wherein said control of the pressure reducer is performed independent of said control of the pump.